Make Good Use of Your Agency’s Recruitment Advertising Budget

As we’ve become increasingly aware of our impact on the environment and the need to reduce, reuse, and recycle, an army of creative craftspeople has joined the repurposing movement. They’ve made old shower curtains into picnic table covers, dull razors into sweater pill removers, and as above, old boots into flowerpots. Repurposing isn’t a new idea. For ages, quilters have repurposed remnant materials from old clothing, linens, and flour sacks, to make beautiful quilts. Know something else that often goes to waste? Advertising space. Today we’ll explore how you can use remnant advertising to make good use of your agency’s limited recruitment advertising budget.

Remnant Defined

What is remnant advertising? Simply put, “remnant” refers to unsold advertising space in print, digital, and broadcast media. Unsold space or time represents a loss in income. To compensate for this loss, media outlets will often sell remnant advertising space at a discount. This is a win-win, both for advertising buyers who can purchase expensive ad space for less money, and for media sellers, who can monetize inventory that would otherwise go to waste. 

Tips for Getting Started

Want to help your organization take advantage of remnant advertising? Here are some tips to get started.

• First, contact digital advertisers and local media outlets (newspapers, radio, and television stations) in advance to find out if they sell remnant advertising.
• Set aside budget and set up purchase orders with identified outlets.
• Ask media outlets to notify your organization when remnant space becomes available.
• Ask where, how often, and over which platforms (internet, television, radio) the ad will run, the reach of the ad (how many people will see the ad), and ad “specs” or specifications (the specific format and dimensions for print advertising or run time/duration for broadcast media).
• Create ads that meet media specs so they are ready to print or air when remnant space becomes available. Prepare a variety of specific ads (the city of Springfield is seeking applicants for the following positions…) and general (the city of Springfield offers excellent benefits and a dynamic working environment).
• Don’t forget that all good ads should contain a specific call to action such as, “Please call the job hotline or visit springfield.gov to learn more.”

What to do if Your Ad is Preempted

Be aware that remnant ads may be preempted by other advertisers who are willing to pay more for the space. If your ad is preempted, ask the media company if they will retain it and run it when they have space in the future.

With a little preparation, you can take advantage of remnant advertising to maximize recruitment outreach and your recruitment advertising budget.